City Council approves contract for new police chief

The contract states that the police chief reports to the city manager, is an “at will” employee and will be paid $155,772 per year, which is step 15 of the city’s executive salary schedule ($12,981 per month). It also specifies that he will receive the same cost of living or merit increases authorized by the City Council for all management employees and that the city manager may increase his salary based upon a council-approved salary schedule. Reductions in the chief’s salary may not be made except to the degree of such reduction across the board for all of the city’s management employees.

He will also be eligible for additional pay based upon POST (Commission on Police Officers Standards and Training) certifications and the same benefits of other management employees including sick leave, CalPERS retirement, health insurance, administrative leave, life insurance and vacation leave.

The city will provide him with a vehicle that may be used for travel to and from his personal residence and for travel outside the city if it is business-related. The city will pay all related costs and he will be the only authorized operator of the vehicle that will be emergency-equipped for law enforcement use. He will also be provided with a cell phone and allowance for use of his personal phone for city business and a uniform allowance.

He is required to provide the city manager with 60 calendar days’ notice, in writing, if he wishes to resign and must state reasons for resignation, which will be irrevocable if accepted by the city manager.

In the event his at-will employment is terminated by the city manager without cause, the city is willing to offer him severance pay equal to six months salary, or the number of months remaining in the agreement, whichever is less. There are other clauses related to bonding and indemnification.

Standridge will become the third chief since the city reestablished a police department in 2007.

He will fill a position left vacant in February when Kent Kroeger retired. Kroeger had been chief since June 2014, when he replaced Jeff Kermode. Kermode was hired in November 2006 to lead the city’s effort to reestablish its own police department after many years of contracting with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement.

Acting Lt. Jason Dunham has been leading the department since Kroeger’s retirement.

Other action

The council’s closed-session agenda included conference with legal counsel regarding two potential cases of anticipated litigation. No report was made about any related action.

But in the regular session, the council:

• Voted 5-0 to order the levy of assessments with Drainage Benefit Assessment Districts No. 1 and 2014-1 and for the next fiscal year. No one spoke or provided comments in the related public hearing.

• Voted 5-0 to approve the notice of completion for the South Dennison Road Water Main Replacement Project.

• Adopted, with a 5-0 vote, staff determinations that four projects meet the criteria for exemptions from the California Environmental Quality Act.

Development Services Director Jay Schlosser said that recent case law requires the council to review and adopt a finding that a project is categorically exempt under CEQA, a determination that, previously, staff was able to make without council action.

He provided information about four upcoming projects — the Brentwood Pedestrian Facilities Project, Valley Boulevard Road Resurfacing Project, Tehachapi Boulevard Bike Lane Fence and Transit Center Sidewalk Connection Project. More information about each is in the agenda for the meeting available online at liveuptehachapi.com/agendacenter.

Proclamations

The council made proclamations recognizing the work of two organizations — CAPK (Community Action Partnership of Kern) and #lovetehachapi.

Pritika Ram, chief business development officer, and new board member Denise Boshers made a presentation about CAPK’s work. Ram noted that the group has 150 partners throughout the county and recently completed a two-year fundraiser to provide $15.6 million that will allow the organization to increase its food bank warehouse from 23,000 square feet to 60,000 square feet.

Budge introduced members of the group #lovetehachapi and noted that it always stands ready to help the city in many ways.

The group launched in 2019 when about 25 people rolled up their sleeves to help the police department with a cleanup project in a neighborhood near Tehachapi Municipal Airport, and last year the Kern Council of Governments awarded the group a Regional Award of Merit for Community Involvement.

Members of #lovetehachapi present at the meeting were Mike Safford, Jimmy Patrick, Debbi Koontz, Shawny Patrick and Denise Madden.

Claudia Elliott is a freelance journalist and former editor of the Tehachapi News. She lives in Tehachapi and can be reached by email: claudia@claudiaelliott.net.